


Mulled Wine

by NeveRoyle



Series: Comfort Food (Spacemoose RPF) [4]
Category: Hidden Block (Video Blogging RPF), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alcohol, Cooking, Flirting, Food, Gen, Slow Burn, Wine, Winter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-21
Updated: 2017-12-21
Packaged: 2019-02-18 01:29:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13089579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NeveRoyle/pseuds/NeveRoyle
Summary: I thought I'd rate this Teen and Up since the characters are drinking alcohol.I'm feeling unnaturally festive this year, and I wanted to express it with a cozy little story featuring my favorite YouTubers. I hope Ian does try making something like this on his channel, even though Jeff probably wouldn't be around to try it. Jeff or no Jeff, I still enjoy those food videos.Have a happy and safe holiday, fanfic lovers.





	Mulled Wine

December arrived with freezing rain and cloudy skies as it commonly had in past winters. Today, the dove gray palette promised snow, if not more rain. It was the perfect time to stay inside and cook.

Jeff was accustomed to these winters. He looked forward to them. It was a time to get cozy with sweaters and hot drinks. He had the first--an autumn red number with extra long sleeves--and Ian was working on the second.

He looked up from his phone to assess the situation in the kitchen. It was the same sight as from an hour before: Ian hovering over a slow cooker, his back to Jeff and walnut waves cascading over his purple sweater. It wasn't a bad color combination; purple really did flatter Ian.

"Is it soup yet?" Jeff asked.

"I'm not _that_ bad at cooking." Ian made an unsure sound, followed by the muffled clattering of a glass lid being removed "Mmm. That smells rich."

Jeff didn't need to get up from the couch for a sniff. The citrus-tinged scent wafted into the living room, suddenly making the whole scene cozier for him. The finishing touches would have been a lively fireplace and frosted windows. He snuggled up against the plush back pillow, hugging the one throw pillow Ian allowed in his home.

"What's that grin for?" Ian had turned to continue his work on the butcher block, which had him facing the living room. In his hand was a ladle too long for the two-quart slow cooker.

"Nothing. I just like this. It's cozy. Did you move the slow cooker to the butcher block?"

"There's more room over here. Don't question my actions."

Jeff stretched his neck to watch Ian pour the beverage into two juice glasses. He didn't have anything fancy like wine glasses--yet another item on the wish list--but there was something amusing about drinking alcohol from small glasses festooned with cartoon grapes.

"Look, it's like they're drunk." He snickered as he topped off the glass with another splash.

Ian joined Jeff on the couch and handed him a glass. The other man hummed in thanks, lifting the drink to his lips. His taste buds sang out when the flavors hit all at once: earthy wine decorated in spicy clove, tart orange, and mellow brown sugar.

"This is good! When YouTube stops being a thing, you should sell your own drinks."

Ian twisted his mouth. "Nah... too many regulations I'd have to follow. Health inspectors to bribe. Snooty wine critics."

"After dealing with YouTube comments, I don't think snooty wine critics are going to be a problem."

"What if the critics were a part of the comments section and giving my drinks bad reviews is a form of revenge?"

Jeff widened his eyes in mock surprise, then splayed a hand in the air next to his head while making an exploding sound. "Plot twist! Mind blown!"

Ian chuckled, leaning against the inside arm of the couch. He stared at the window with the grin still dancing along his lips. It reached his eyes, adding a warmth to the grayish teal that suddenly mesmerized Jeff. The window reflected as a white square over each pupil, making the eyes brighter, happier.

It was a better picture than what he saw three months ago. After the whole mess first happened, Ian was a wreck. Plans for future videos were scrapped, meals barely eaten, lights never turned on. Jared and Austin had acted as first responders, giving Ian anything he wanted while they encouraged him to speak. It was hard going at first; Ian didn't like sharing, even with close friends. But eventually, he broke down, figuratively and literally. Jeff stood away from the couch that awful day, watching the normally stone-faced Ian crumble into a sobbing mess.

_What's wrong with me? Why can't I be better? Why can't I change?_

"Uh, nickel for your thoughts?"

Jeff shook his head. "Just thinking. This is so much different than when we were kids. Winter, Christmas, that kinda thing? I mean, we'd be looking forward to snow and getting out of school, opening presents. But now it's like just sitting on the couch, hanging out, drinking wine, that's the best thing now. It's so weird how life changes when you grow up."

Ian's face seemed to darken. Jeff panicked. Had he said something wrong? He frantically searched for another topic when Ian's expression became curious.

"You have reindeer on your socks."

Jeff mentally sighed in relief. He waggled his toes, making the hooves on the design undulate. "These are old, but I like them. They're super comfy. They have padding on the inside."

Ian crossed his left foot over his knee. A canvas of inky black space and star clouds covered his long foot. "I can feel the cold in these. Not good winter socks. Maybe your reindeer can come fly through space, bring some of that padding with them."

Jeff guffawed. "Sounds like you're drunk already."

"I dunno, but I feel happy."

Jeff made snorting sounds as he bounced his feet on the edge of the cushion. They made their way over to Ian's posed foot, his toes flexing. The reindeer looked as though they were jerkily dancing towards space. Ian began chuckling, which turned into full laughter as their feet engaged in a bump war. Both men held their glasses up and away to prevent spillage, but they'd already sipped enough that the jouncing liquid posed no threat to clothing or carpet.

Ian ended the war by thrusting his leg over Jeff's ankle, gently pinning it to the couch. "No, don't suffocate my reindeer!" Jeff guffawed and yanked his leg away. The sock was left behind, which Ian claimed as a koozie for his glass.

"Festive." Ian turned the glass to show it off. The reindeer looked as if it had been through a compactor. "But your foot _was_ in it, so..." He tugged off the sock and tossed it at Jeff, who caught it between his fingers.

"My feet are clean," Jeff said with mock indignation.

While Jeff slipped his sock back on, Ian chewed his bottom lip. Jeff pretended not to notice at first, too busy aligning the design so that the red heel was on his heel and not the top of his foot.

"The longer they are, the more you have to straighten them." He moved the reindeer's head back in place, where it stared in Ian's direction.

"Hey, um..." Ian began. "I just wanted to thank you. And this--" He held up his glass. "--is part of my thanks."

"Oh. You're welcome. For what?"

Ian shrugged a shoulder. "Being a friend. Being my roommate. Pretty much rescuing me from my life back in Texas. Being my guinea pig. Listening to me bitch and moan after... you know."

Jeff was about to utter the forbidden name but thought better of it. He grinned at Ian. "Hey, what do friends do for each other?"

"Speaking of friends," Ian said, quickly switching topics, "you think the others are going to like this?"

"Jared might. Maybe he'll film another drinking game. A D&D and mulled wine combo? But, no, I think mead is a better fit."

"You're the fantasy expert. What about Austin, think he'll like this?"

"He's big into Christmas, so yeah." Jeff knocked back the last of his drink. A blast of clove punched the back of his throat and he coughed. "Wow! The dregs are strong."

Ian finished the last of his drink, choking on the last ounce. "Cloves. I didn't think four would be that strong."

"Why don't we make a batch with extra cloves? We can make Austin and Jared guess which one they're getting."

"No, I want to keep my friends." Ian hopped off the couch and held an open hand to Jeff. "Want a refill?"

"Sure!" As Ian strolled back to the kitchen, Jeff said after him, "This might be your best one yet."

"That's only because you can get drunk off of it." Ian poured wine into the glasses. "And some extra dregs for Jeff..."

"Hey, I was paying you a compliment!"

Both men laughed as Ian returned with refilled glasses. They whiled away the afternoon with more wine and an old Minecraft Hardcore marathon. Jeff basked in the glow of his friend's good humor and hoped that it would carry through into the new year and beyond.

**Author's Note:**

> I thought I'd rate this Teen and Up since the characters are drinking alcohol.
> 
> I'm feeling unnaturally festive this year, and I wanted to express it with a cozy little story featuring my favorite YouTubers. I hope Ian does try making something like this on his channel, even though Jeff probably wouldn't be around to try it. Jeff or no Jeff, I still enjoy those food videos.
> 
> Have a happy and safe holiday, fanfic lovers.


End file.
